Fan-type air heater



Dec. 1, 1942. c. J. FAY ETAL FAN-TYPE AIR HEATER Filed Feb. 26, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 5 Car/[F5 GuyTfi/Varvr and/ aha Farr/yaw.

ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

Dec. 1, 1942. Q J FA ETAL 2,303,447

FAN-TYPE AIR HEATER Filed Feb. 26, 1941 2 sheeis-sheet 2 WITNESSES: INVENTORS Car/[ 6'0 5770WK /4 .9

and .705 ls j/afr/son Patented Dec. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT/ FOFFICE FAN-TYPE AIR HEATER- Carl J. Fay, Guy E. Shawk, and John W. Harrlson, Mansfield, Ohio, asslgnors to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation oi Pennsylvania Application February 26, 1941,'Serial No. 380,650

2 Claims.

motor and heating element as a unit to a supporting exterior casing or shell.

It is a still further object of our invention to provide a method of assembling a fan type convection heater having a fan motor, a bafile therefor, and a heating element by utilizing a single or unitary supporting bracket structure for coaxially mounting the fan motor bailie and heating element within a supporting casing or shell.

Other objects of our invention will either be pointed out specifically in the course of the following description of a device embodying our invention or will be apparent from such description. 1

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the device shown in Fig. l with the exterior guard members removed; and,

Fig. 3 is a schematic wiring diagram of the device embodying our invention. v

Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a fan-type convection air heater l which includes an outer casing or shell l2, a motor l4 and attached fan IS, a cylindrical baflle l6 positioned around the motor H, a heating element i8 mounted coaxially with the motor l4, baille l6 and casing l2, and a plurality of mounting brackets 20 attached at one end to the bafile l6 for rigidly mounting the fan motor 14,

battle it and heating element l8 as a .unit to the casing or shell l2.

The exterior enclosing casing l2 comprises, in this instance, a 'hollow cylindrical shell-like structure open at both ends. Suitable screens or guard structures 22 are removably attached to the casing at each end thereof, as a protective medium for preventing an operators hand, for example, from being injured by the fan or heating element. A suitable handle 23 is attached to the upper portion of the casing l2 to addition, a substantially Y-shape bracket structure 24 is attached to the sides of the casing l2 and provide means for supporting the casing from, for example, either a platform or a wall. The Y-shaped supporting structure 24 also permits the heater to be rotated or moved to any desired position, such as, for example, about the bolts 25, as a horizontal axis and about the bolt 21, as a vertical axis.

The fan I5 is removably attached" to the rotating shaft of the fan motor H which is adapted to drive such fan to draw air through the heater.

, The fan [5 and fan motor It, being no part of our present invention, may be of any desired conventional design.

A hollow cylindrical bailie it having a diameter slightly greater than that of, the motor I4, is positioned about such motor to prevent direct radiation of heat from the heating element l8 coming in contact with the motor frame. Suitable supporting brackets 29 are attached to the motor and to the inner surface of the baflle l6 to provide supporting means for the motor it.

An air deflector 26 is attached to the end of the baffle l 6 furthest away from the fan l5. Such deflector 26 extends outwardly from the baille towards the fan and heating element was to direct the flow of air passing through the heater away from the baiile and through such element. The deflector 26 by being attached to the end of the baflie It tends to strengthen such baille, and, accordingly, permits somewhat lighter metal to be used in the construction thereof.

Mounting or supporting brackets 20 comprising, in this instance, substantially elongated strip type members, extend radially outwardly from the bailie l6 to provide means for supporting such bafile l6 and motor H. The mounting brackets 20 are rigidly attached to the baiile l6 and air deflector 26 and are spaced substantially 120 apart from each other. The brackets 20 have rigidly attached to a point substantially intermediate the ends thereof a supporting member 2| which is adapted to extend toward thev enable the heating element I! to be disposed \thereupon with its axis substantially coaxial with that of the motor and bailie. It is to be underprovide means for moving the heater 10. In stood that any desired type pe of sup- I ly attached to the brackets 20. 1

elenfent substantially coaxially with the motor H and baille l6, and provided that they be rigid- The heating element l8 comprises, in this instance, a helically wound metallic encased heating unit 28 which has disk-like radiating fins 30 attached to the metallic casing thereof. The

toward the supporting members by means of, say,

a bolt 34. This bracket 32,'in cooperation with the supporting member 2|, thus providesmeans for rigidly supporting the heating element l8 from the supporting brackets 20 substantially coaxially with respect to the motor I4 and bafile IS.

The motor I4 is connected to a suitable power 1 supply 41 by means of, in this instance, either of two switches 38 and 40. The main switch is adapted to energize both the motor 14 and heating element I8. In contrast, switch. l merely energizes the motor l4, permitting the fan l and motor H to operate without the heating element being energized,

As a protective feature, thermostat 42 is attached to the outside of the baiile [8 so as to be in the air stream. This thermostat is connected in series with the heating element I8 ,(see schematic Wiring diagram-Fi8. 3) and functions as a protective device therefor. The thermostat is normally cooled by the air flow and should the flow of air cease for any reason, while the heating element is energized, such thermostat will disconnect the heating element from the power supply ll.

When constructing the heater HI embodying our invention the fan motor I4 is rigidly attached to the inner portion of the bafile l6 which has the air deflector 26 attached thereto, by means of the suitable foot-like base or supporting structure 29. The motor H is positioned within the baflle l6 so that the fan l5 will be positioned beyond the end of the baflle l6 opposite to the end which supports the air deflector. The supporting members are also rigidly attached to 'the baiile l6 at the same end. The heating element i8 is then positioned upon the supporting members 21 so as to form a unitary structure embodying the fan motor ll, baflle 16, air deflector 26 supporting bracket 20, and heating element porting member may be used in lieu of those described providing they supp rt the heating II, This unitary structure may then be readily and easily positioned within any suitable casing or shell-like structure I! and rigidly attached thereto, say, by means of suitable bolts 36.

It is, therefore, obvious that we have provided a fan-type convection heater in which the heating element is rigidly attached to the fan motor and supporting bracket so as to form a unitary structure. This type of structure thus facilitates the manufacture thereof and provides means for readily disassembling, inspecting and repairing of the heating element, for example.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying our invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a convection type heater having an outer casing, a cylindrical baffle, a motor centrally located within the baflle for driving a fan and a heating element located intermediate the baiile and casing, the combination of a plurality of radially extending brackets rigidly attached at one end thereof to the baille, a plurality of supporting members attached to said brackets radially intermediate the ends thereof and extending in the direction of the baffle, means independent of said brackets for rigidly attaching the heatin element to said members, and means for fastening the other ends of said supporting brackets to the casing for independently attaching said motor, fan, baflle and heating element as a unit to the casing.

2. In a convection type heater having an outer casing, an inner hollow baille, a fan, a fan motor attached thereto and mounted within said baille substantially coaxially therewith, and a heating element positioned about, the baille intermediate said baille and outer casing, the combination of a plurality of radially extending mounting brackets attached at one end thereofto the baflle for mounting said baflle and fan motor as a unit coaxially within the outer casing, inwardly extending supporting members each having one end attached to the'respective brackets radially intermediate the ends thereof for engaging one side of the heating element independent of the outer casing, a plurality of clamping members engaging the opposite side of the heating element, said supporting and clamping members being substantially radially alined in pairs, and

means for rigidly securing the paired members together.

.' CARL J. FAY.

- GUY E. SHAWK.

JOHN W. HAW SON. 

